Garrett Miller

Garrett brings a somewhat different perspective on beer to the table. While always thrilled to try any new, exotic brew that finds itself his way, Garrett finds that he's often quite satisfied with reliable, common craft choices. As such, Garrett is a fan of trying and reviewing these (admittedly less expensive) beers, and using them to introduce the exciting, flavorful world of craft beer to those not-yet-acquainted. Garrett’s favorite styles are IPAs and bourbon stouts, but won’t turn his nose up at anything. Find Garrett Miller on Google Plus

For best effect, play this in the background as you peruse this post:
And now, for something completely different.
I’m no stranger to malt liquors, having even reviewed one previously. What we have here is Voodoo Brewery‘s craft malt liquor, offered up as part of their ongoing “Hashtag Series”. A nod to the popular Sublime song, #22oztofreedom was available at Voodoo during my Christmas trip back home to Northwest PA, tempting me with thoughts of what mysterious … Read entire article »

We here at The Beer Circle like to think that we drink a lot of good beer. With that in mind, we decided to vote internally on what our favorite new beers of 2013 were. The criteria was simple: you had to have the beer to vote on it and the beer had to make its debut in 2013. The list ended up being, predictably, focused on Pennsylvania.
Voodoo Pappy van Winkle Black Magick
Probably the most sought … Read entire article »

This past Saturday, despite a continuous deluge of wintry mix in the Washington area, a car full of good friends drove across our nation’s capital to see five different breweries: DC Brau, Atlas Brew Works, Chocolate City, Right Proper, and Bluejacket. A testament to the success of craft beer right now, the longest drive between breweries was 15 minutes. The fun breweries paired with almost everyone being a bit sleepy and hungover made for a … Read entire article »

Come one, come all to the finest craft beer breweries that the District of Columbia has to offer! On Saturday, 14 December, a group of us will be making stops at five breweries whose addresses contain Washington, DC (apologies to those in VA and MD!). Most of these breweries are new, and only offer growler hours to the public on Saturdays. So, barring another snowpocalypse, we thought it would be a good idea to stock … Read entire article »

Roughly two weeks ago, I wrote about a sudden inspiration to attempt to brew my own hard cider. I worked with what I had available to me – a couple of Mr. Beer fermenters and a spare growler I had laying around – very much winging the whole thing.
After a relatively easy “brew day”, the concoction bubbled away rather furiously for a little over a week before finally settling down. As fermentation slowed, the airlock … Read entire article »

I’m not the best homebrewer.
Those familiar with my attempt at a “Liver Lascerator Lager” in college recall the results: an overly-aggressive attempt at bottle priming to boost the ABV resulted in disaster – an overly-sweet, under-alcoholic mess. Think of a Miller Lite with a tablespoon of sugar added, and you’ll have a decent idea for the taste. As such, my first attempt at brewing a beer didn’t go so well, and I haven’t attempted it … Read entire article »

As we speak, Paige, Kenton, and Greg of The Beer Circle are in Meadville, Pennsylvania to sample some of the fine beers being released at Voodoo Brewery’s second Barrel Room Collection Release! This event promises to be a lot like their first, but hopefully a bit warmer this time around. We’ve established this LiveBlog for updates on the weekend’s release festivities, so stick around, crack open a beer of your own, and feel free to … Read entire article »

On the whole, beer advertisements tend not to be very kind towards men.
More often than not depicted as fat, lazy, drunkards who seek nothing more than maximum-volume cheap beer delivery, juvenile humor, ogling at scantily-clad cheerleaders, and watching football without being disturbed by unbearable nagging wives, these tragic examples of the male specimen are glorified and idealized. The dumber you are, the more manly you are, so long as you like watching football, and drinking foreign-owned, … Read entire article »

Recently, the beer community has begun to see more and more of its beers, including certain top-tier selections, find their way into cans vs. bottles. Why could this be? Aren’t cans what you find macro selections like Budweiser, or the storied Natty Daddy in?
We’re certainly not the first to mention it, but canning beer definitely has its advantages vs. bottling, which include:
They recycle more efficiently.
They block sunlight and oxygen better than glass, preserving your beer.
They’re … Read entire article »

As the Eastern Conference finals rage on, native Pittsburghers and Bostonians find themselves getting increasingly heated over the anticipated outcome of the series finals. (Obviously the Penguins are going to pull this out and be the victors, but that’s neither here nor there.) This (mostly) friendly rivalry has spilled over into the craft beer community, where founder Jim Koch of the Boston Beer Company (of Sam Adams fame) and Sean Casey of Church Brew Works … Read entire article »